South Africa's black farmers are cashing on their once white-owned farmland - by selling it back to its original owners.

The South African government has spent a fortune trying to redistribute the country's land wealth from the white minority to the black majority.

It has bought thousands of hectares of white owned farm land and either given it or sold it on to poor blacks.

But yesterday the country's minister of land reform admitted that many of the new black farmers have simply resold the land back to the original owners.
Nelson Mandela: His party made promises to redistribute white-owned farmland to black people

Nelson Mandela: His party made promises to redistribute white-owned farmland to black people

Gugile Nkwinti said black farmers have resold nearly 30 per cent of the white farmland bought for them by the government.

He said: 'The government bought land and handed it over to aspirant farmers who then sold it again, in many instances back to the original owner.'

Land economists say that the redistribution policy is highly inefficient as the white-owned land is often bought at above its market value by the government.

After the land has been given, or sold at a discount, to the new black owner, he is able to simply then able to sell it on.

This means that both farmers - black and white - are able to turn a profit from the government's involvement.

It's probably not the best way to deal with things, but at least it hasn't become the bloodbath that Zimbabwe had when they took the land from the white landowners without paying them, and killing all who ojected.

I'm not saying South Africa doesn't have it's problems, there is a lot of crime and poverty there. I'm just saying it could be a lot worse. Think if Winnie Mandela had become the first post-apartheid president instead of Nelson?! Everyone who doesn't like it her way would get a flaming tire necklace.